


The Night We Met

by CorpseKnight



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Hes alive but fuck if Dick Knows That, Hurt No Comfort, I love them okay, Jason Todd's Death, Jason is just mentioned, M/M, Man Pain, Memories, Nightmares, Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 01:21:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21262772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorpseKnight/pseuds/CorpseKnight
Summary: Dick wakes up, goes for a run, and thinks of the past.





	The Night We Met

**Author's Note:**

> For those who don't like smoking, that's a mjor part of this fanfiction. Also, I'm probably really rusty! Enjoy!

_There was a police siren, then a choked-off scream, and then the shrill screech of tires. Across the street, the boy yanked his hair from his scalp as the building exploded, eyes watching the wreckage fall with one word and one word only: Jason. The name was all the boy could repeat as he raced to the ledge, being yanked back by his mentor. The two could do nothing but stare as the flames roared around the remnants of the warehouse, nothing left of the one the younger boy could not stop crying for. The boy, in blue and yellow, sunk to his knees. It was all he could do to cope with the sudden, deafening loss in his heart, to cry and beg that Jason was still alive, but as the flames raged, it was more and more apparent that hopes would be dashed with each lick of fire that ascended towards the sky. Who would mourn the young robin more than this crying boy, the world wondered, as she felt the heat of fire, and cried with the boy, rain falling in thick, heavy droplets onto his back. _

_The boy's heart had been ripped in two with just a few simple actions. The young robin, less than three years his junior, but still so fresh from the streets, had been caught by only the nastiest of villains, and he couldn't help. He couldn't do anything but watch as the boy he'd trained with, drank sips of wine when no one was watching with, the boy he'd kissed once, on a dare, in the playground of a long closed elementary school, was just gone. Simply erased from the world, with nothing but the rising smoke to remember him by. Even the smoke would dissipate into the wind, the last pieces of Jason scattered across the earth and never to be seen again. As the rain fell, he could feel how the earth cried with him, and it made him feel less alone. Even with his mentor behind him, he only felt comforted as the earth shed her tears alongside him and his weighted heart. He knew his heart would never heal, not from the boy he knew, the boy he wanted to learn, and the boy he loved_.

* * *

Dick woke up with a gasp and a quiet shriek, the sound of his alarm morphed into the sirens of the GCPD cars. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow, then his hands, sitting against the headboard of his bed. He tried to steady his breathing, to no avail-- It would have to calm down on its own. He blinked furiously, simultaneously trying to quell the tears and dispel the memories of nights past. A run wouldn't be so bad, could it? He thought to himself, standing and straightening out his back with one long series of cracks. Yes, he decided. A run wouldn't be so bad. Pulling on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top over a fresh pair of boxers, he stretched out each limb generously. Mind wandering, he glanced at his calendar. A day off from work, what a joy. He knew he couldn't go in, they disliked him overworking himself too often. Lacing his sneakers tight, he threw his keys in his pocket before exiting and heading down the stairs of his little apartment complex. There wasn't much to it, and with the sky still a deep blue, only hints of red bleeding into the corners, not much would be awake and alive at this hour. 

The city's air was warm for spring, but even if it wasn't, the heat Dick gave off would keep him warm. He went for a run around the entire city block, staying dutifully on the shoulders of roads and taking corners gracefully. He noticed the convenience store open on his second time round the block, feeling in his pocket-- Yes, he had grabbed his wallet. Heading inside, he smiled politely to the woman, eyes scanning the shelves until he found exactly what he wanted. 

"One pack of Marlboros, please." He asked politely, taking out his wallet. The girl picked a pack of cigarettes from the shelf behind the counter, and once he paid, handed them over. With a wave, Dick was already out the door. Moving back towards his complex at an easy pace, he enjoyed the rare, clear, and warm day in Bludhaven. 

He jogged the rest of the way home, cigarettes, keys, and wallet resting heavy against his thigh in his pocket. Walking up to his apartment was easy-- The fumbling of getting his keys in the lock less so. As he entered, he called out a cheery "I'm back!" to no one but the dead plant on his windowsill. With a small sigh, he reached over the plant to open the window. His lighter rested on the sill, waiting for use. A tear of plastic, a flick of the lighter, and the cigarette was lit. A drag was taken, and with a long exhale, the smoke went out the window. Across the city, the world was beginning to wake, but it meant nothing to Dick. His thoughts were six years ago, when the smoke from the warehouse looked strikingly similar to the smoke coming from his cigarette. Another drag was taken, and a tear or two slipped down his cheeks. In his head, a song played. It was one Jason had seemed so excited about, as it played in a drama show he was so terribly into watching. 

_I had all and then most, then some and now none of you...._

Dick knew in his heart that someone couldn't change the past. He knew in the logical side of his mind that Jason was gone. But as he sat there, leaning on the windowsill and smoking the brand of cigarettes Jason had choked on the smoke of, Dick felt a little better. He knew that Jason would never grow up, but he wondered what Jason would have been. A police officer, like himself? An English teacher? Dick even briefly entertained the idea of a social worker, one who would help kids like the one Jason was. 

But, he would never know. Jason was gone, and that stung, even six years later. 

_Take me back to the night we met…. _

**Author's Note:**

> If you could comment, that'd be great! Have a wonderful day!


End file.
